11.03.2009

Although not quite as fierce as the battle over the perfect chocolate chip cookie, brownie lovers have their own fight over the perfect texture of their favorite chocolatey treat. Some, like me, are fans of the fudgy, soft, almost underbaked bar, while others are fond of the more cakelike, thick treat. Some just go for the crunchy corner pieces first, leaving the softer middle behind. Some like nuts in their brownies, and others are completely opposed to the idea. Some like them topped with chocolate or frosting, others like the simplicity of an unadorned bite. But no matter what kind of brownie you enjoy, there’s one thing I think all brownie lovers can agree on—they’re delicious and utterly addicting. If given the chance, I could clean out an entire pan of brownies singlehandedly. But to be completely honest, I’ve never really made brownies from scratch. Other than the Mint Filled Brownie Cupcakes, there’s only been one other attempt at making brownies that didn’t come from a box in my lifetime. When one of The Girls, Dani, came back up to visit from Texas again this week, she put in her request for brownies, so it was time to learn how to make them on my own.My first attempt, years ago, was a recipe from Everyday Food Magazine’s Holiday issue back in 2006. It’s chock full of nothing but cookie and bar recipes, and I still use it every year for my holiday baking (so be on the lookout for quite a few more recipes from this coming soon!). While the brownies came together easily and baked up great, the recipe calls for semisweet chocolate chips, which makes for a very dark chocolate treat. A bit too dark for me, so I wasn’t a fan of them. For years I’ve been meaning to try them with milk chocolate instead, but I’ve never gotten around to it. I was glad for the excuse to bake them for Dani to give it a shot.

The recipe is super simple, especially when you use the microwave to melt your chocolate and butter. It’s a one bowl deal that comes together in less than 10 minutes. The original recipe calls for nuts, but I’m one of those that are horribly opposed to nuts in my baked goods, so I substituted chocolate chips instead to give it a bit more of a chocolate fudgy flavor. Measure out a cup of the chips to melt, and toss the rest of the regular sized bag with some flour to keep them from sinking! Couldn’t be easier!

If you’re a fan of the underbaked fudgy kind of brownies, you’ll love these. They’re still gooey and squishy after 55 minutes of baking. If you like them a little more cakelike, cover with foil to keep the top from browning too much, and bake for 5-10 minutes more, or until the center comes out the way you like it. Slice them up, and serve with a big glass of milk! They’re delicious! I definitely suggest using milk chocolate instead of the semisweet the original recipe called for. But if you’re a dark chocolate fan, mix the milk chocolate with the semi sweet for a bit of a darker taste. Or toss the semisweet chips with the flour to add instead of milk chocolate, for little bites of dark chocolate flavor. However you mix them up and bake them, be sure to give them a try, because they’re fantastic! It’s a good thing I’m sharing them with The Girls, otherwise, the plate would be empty already.

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving an overhand on two sides; butter bottom and sides of foil (not overhang). Set aside. In a small bowl, toss 4 ounces (1/2 cup) of chocolate with 1½ teaspoons flour until coated. Set aside.2. Place butter and 8 ounces (1 cup) chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl set over (not in) a saucepan of simmering water; stir frequently until almost melted. Remove from heat; stir until completely melted. (Or melt chocolate and butter together in a microwave safe bowl, stirring after 1 minute, and reheating and stirring until chocolate and butter are completely melted and smooth.)3. Whisk in sugar and salt until smooth; whisk in eggs. Gently whisk in ¾ cup of flour just until smooth (do not overmix). Fold in reserved chocolate chips.4. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 45 to 55 minutes. Cool completely in pan.5. Using foil overhang, lift from pan; peel off foil and discard. Cut brownies into 16 squares (4 rows by 4 rows).

*Note: For a more dark chocolate taste, use semisweet chocolate instead of milk chocolate, or combine ½ cup of each for the batter and ¼ cup of each to fold in.

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The Busty Baker is a newly 30-something retail slave who spends most of her downtime covered in flour in her tiny apartment kitchen, compulsively checking Twitter, and talking to her cat. Someday she'll figure out what she wants to do with her life, but until then, she'll continue to pawn her baked goods off on anyone who will take them.